Product Feedback

Remember Who You Are

     "I just finished reading your book… WOW! – It is “extraordinary”!!! I had difficulty putting it down, and was disappointed when I was finished!
You have so skillfully woven a tapestry of God-given, God-chosen, God-driven, God-supported, God-encouraged, God-loved, God-grounded and Christ-like identity. You have provided me with encouragement in more areas than I had anticipated when I purchased your book. I personally connected with so much of your writing.
     "Just to give you a glimmer of the significance on my life – this is the first book that I have been able to read in its entirety since the death of my son – Thank You!!!
     "The Lord has been trying to show me what I need to do to serve Him. I have taken some steps, but keep getting set back with doubts and lack of confidence. You have restored, renewed, and instilled new strength to make my life here on earth extraordinary for Him.
     "Thank you!"

from an email to the author
Judy Marquette
Hughesville, PA

"I'm using Remember Who You Are with the Ladies Class I teach. I told them where to go on the Internet to read the intro and first chapter, and 4 of them were ready to buy it the first Sunday. I'm really looking forward to teaching from it. I just reread Chapter 2 ("You Are God's Masterpiece"); it's an absolute gem of a chapter. I really hope the book takes off and gets bought and read by a lot of people."

Cheryl Frey
Sunday School teacher

Caleb Pascal and the Peculiar People

"A smile spread across my face as I read feverishly through the "Caleb Pascal and the Peculiar People" series. The thought of a preteen hearing the word "Papa" in reference to orphaned Caleb's newly acquired father, made me smile, but when I think of them hearing it from the mouth of an adult in reference to our Heavenly Father, I burst with anticipation of a saved soul. As the mother of four and grandmother of three, I highly recommend every parent read these spirit filled books to their children and grandchildren. Hamilton reaches out through the pages of this historical fiction and captures the imagination, taking us on a "circus" train ride down tracks laden with fear, loneliness, and real life "stuff. Yet as would any good conductor, she allows multiple rest-stops where we experience forgiveness, hope, and love. This book series will definitely be part of our family library."

Linda Goldfarb
Syndicated Radio Talk Show Host
Professional Speaker & Writer
San Antonio, TX

"Kids (and adults) who enjoyed the dynamic characters of The Series of Unfortunate Events, will also enjoy the motley crew that Kersten Hamilton has assembled in Caleb, Son of None. With Caleb Pascal & the Peculiar People, Hamilton has created a series that young and old will love to read, featuring - dramatic plots, compelling characters, and solid faith lessons. The author also places a verse or two of scripture at the beginning of each chapter; children and parents can have fun figuring out how each verse relates to the chapter it precedes. In conclusion, Read This Book! You might just have fun and maybe learn more about God’s grace too.

Jeremy, a blogger
age 24

HeartShaper Middle Elementary

"[I]t is great to see a publisher who will send their representatives to promote and give workshops on their curriculums. I have had the pleasure of using the HeartShaper Middler curriculum this past spring quarter, and I was so impressed with the attractiveness of the student materials, the variety of activities to be used to meet the needs of different types of learning styles and especially trying to keep the interest of student who have ADD/ADHD. The scripture part of the lesson is short and sweet and to the point and does not become long and drawn out with a lot of fact to bore the students, like the previous curriculum which we were using. In fact I pleaded with our Christian Ed. director to not make us go back to the old curriculum, not after I witnessed a change in attention and enthusiasm with my 4th graders, 4 of which are ADD/ADHD challenged. I am a full time mom of 2 grown daughters (ages 23 and 20) and have BS teaching degree in Elem Ed/Early Childhood, I have been teaching Sunday School prior to my current 4th grade Sunday School teaching position, for 10 years in primary (1st & 2nd grade) at a church in Reading. We were using then (1985 - 1995) the same curriculum that we were using prior to switching to Heart Shaper. This curriculum is like a breathe of fresh air, lively and upbeat. If I would have had to go back to the old curriculum, well let's just say that my enthusiasm would not be as it is planning and doing the actual hands on teaching and interacting with my 4th graders. For 9 months I have become very attached to my current 4th grade class and I feel blessed to be able to have the gift to teach and to be able to have a positive role in their Christian walk. Thanks for making that role easier and alot more fun not just for the kids, but for me too."

Deb Dorward
Sinking Spring, PA

Winter CAMP

"[A]s a Director I am always looking for quality curriculum [and] we have finished up at Winter CAMP! We were using it on Sunday mornings for our large group combined hour (1st-4th grade). The kids absolutely LOVED the Winter CAMP curriculum. I had great feedback from my staff and parents as well. The kids were showing up each week w/ Bibles in hand ready to learn. They were learning verses each week and never have we had a curriculum teach so much application in such a fun and creative way! We rewarded with tickets to spend at the CAMP store which provided incentive for behavior, participation, Bible memory, and bringing visitors. Thanks for putting out a great product that allows us to equip our kids in a positive way!"

Amy Thomas, Director of Children's Ministry
NewSong Fellowship Church, Lancaster, PA

Summer CAMP

"The Summer CAMP material was excellent. It was a great way to reach out to kids in the community. The material was really fun as it all related to a central theme. The themes were a great way to present the truth of the Bible and the truth of God. The Summer CAMP activities were great to show the kids and parents that God is fun. Learning about him doesn’t need to be boring. It was also a great way for kids to invite their friends because they knew what to look forward to the next week, such as spaghetti food fight.”

Katie Miller, Summer CAMP director and Irma Chon, Children’s Minister
Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, Hilliard, OH

Living a Life on Loan

“I finished reading…Living a Life on Loan. I enjoyed it very much. This book serves as a reminder to all Christians that we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and as such are to live our lives in service to others in the name of Christ and as stewards who are accountable to our Redeemer. This book should be the text for all who seek to discover and do God’s will as the redeemed of the Lord. I hope to use it as an additional text with our Chaplaincy Training Course manual.”

Doc Williams, Coordinator of Training and CSC
Church of God Chaplains Commission

Life on Loan Student Ministry Edition

     "I used the Student Ministry Edition of Life on Loan... at the Juvenile Detention Center and it was awesome. The audience is not the easiest to reach as you have limited background information about these girls. All you know is that there is some serious issues that they are dealing with or they would not be there.
      I used the lesson Merging Your Passion and God’s Purpose which opened the door to talk about the purpose that God has for their lives and the talent that He has given them. Many of the girls began to share their talents; they ranged from basketball, art, photography, writing, and singing. They opened up sharing art work and a short story to share with the group, another ask if she could sing us a favorite song. Others shared their stories about wanting to coach and mentor.
     The format of this curriculum was easy to use, not too long where it would lose the attention of youth, the message was very life related even to those who seem to be unreachable."

Valaira Hoskins
Cincinnati, OH

Devotions by Dead People

“As a youth minister, I deal with all sorts of kids. I have a young girl in my senior high youth group who has struggled with anorexia and depression since the beginning of her teen years. She identifies with other kids in the 'Goth' crowd which, as most teen counselors will tell you, isn't necessarily a good thing. This girl in my youth group had a rough time entering high school, and her depression reached a danger level when she started talking of suicide. I found a copy of Devotions by Dead People, and I picked it up for her. The design of the book made it very easy for her to open the book and the messages inside helped open up dialog between us, which then allowed for some help to reach her before. Big thanks to Lynn Pratt for putting this book together and for the non-traditional design of the book. Great job."

Steve Smith, Youth Minister
St. John's Lutheran Church, Lombard, IL

Downhill Challenge

“…the author team of Smith/Caldwell scores a perfect 10. The book is a blend of exciting slope-by-slope action, magnification of messy middle-school melodramas, and testimony to God answering prayer.”

Michael Anderson, AspiringRetail magazine

Elijah Creek Series

                                                                    [Note: The final book, The Carpet of Bones, is now available.]
     “For Christmas…I picked up the first book in Lena Wood’s Elijah Creek series for night-time reading for my 10 and 12 year old boys. We immediately got hooked on them. So we’re purchased and read all six of them. They really are wonderful! I found myself taking the book and reading ahead after the boys went to sleep.
     “Our family also includes a 17-year old with severe disabilities…. I’ve passed the book on to another family with a daughter with similar disabilities as Reece in the story. It is such a blessing to have a character such as this – depicted in such a positive manner – included in Christian novels.
     “Thank you so much for publishing this great series for young people/parents! The spiritual concepts and Biblical information are having powerful impacts for good in our lives.” [Emphasis added]

Mary K.
Mother

The Severed Head

“This funny and suspenseful novel for young teens portrays characters with depth and realism while telling an edge-of-the-seat story that will keep readers turning the pages….
“While the book’s title makes the story line sound more violent than it actually is, there’s intense action at the novel’s climax. Embedded seamlessly within the tale is intriguing information about the armor of God and what it means to be the body of Christ…. Readers will be clamoring for more.”

Liz Duckworth, CBA Marketplace magazine